Chapter 9. Leadership and the Political Side of Project Management

Portions of this chapter were excerpted from Power and Politics in Project Management by J. K. Pinto, Project Management Institute, Upper Darby, PA (1996).

LEADERSHIP AND POLITICS—for many people the two are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. After all, we adore our leaders and hate our politicians, don’t we? Leaders are great people. Politicians are self-serving vermin. For our leaders, we want tickertape parades, lucrative book deals, and commemorative statues in local parks. For our politicians, we want speedy court trials and five-to-ten in the state pen.